Chief Joseph surrendered to General Nelson Appleton Miles on October 5, 1877 in the Bear Paw Mountains of the Montana Territory, less than 40 miles south of Canada in a place close to the present-day Chinook in Blaine County.

Colonel Nelson A. Miles, who was stationed near the mouth of Tongue River in eastern Montana, received an order from General Howard to intercept the Indians. On the following day he began the march which resulted in the capture of Chief Joseph at Bear Paw Mountain on October 4, 1877.

Chief Joseph's Surrender.—Joseph's surrender was dramatic. He rode from his camp accompanied by a little group of warriors, who walked by his side. His hands were clasped on the pommel of his saddle; his rifle lay across his knees, and his head was bowed down.

He rode slowly up the hill to where General Howard and Colonel Miles were waiting. With graceful dignity he swung himself from his saddle and offered his rifle to General Howard. The latter magnanimously motioned him to Colonel Miles who received the token of submission.

The battle is remembered in popular history by the words attributed to Chief Joseph at the formal surrender Joseph's Speech is a masterpiece of pathetic and picturesque oratory. Said he:

Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are—perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.

TEXT CREDIT: Title: History of the state of Idaho. Author: Cornelius James Brosnan. Publisher: C. Scribner's sons, 1918. Original from: the University of Virginia. Digitized: Jan 15, 2008. Length: 237 pages. Subjects History › General History / General Idaho